All We Have is Hope and Love
by Kaiser's Apprentice
Summary: *Follows anime* Kai is tired of the people he cares about being hurt by this 'power'.Hikari is tired of people thinking that she needs help. Kai just wants Hikari to be safe, but Hikari wants to show Kai that she isn't completely helpless. While all this occurs, a familiar power returns causing chaos between new and old friends. And all because of a card game called Vanguard.
1. A Silent Promise

Chapter 1

"How is she?"

"She's stable." Teal eyes narrowed in anger as they stared at the sleeping girl in front of him.

"I should've protected her; I told her I would keep her safe that she wouldn't need to come back here again…I'm…Forgive me." The blonde haired man placed a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder. Although it was all true, he couldn't come to hate the boy; the boy meant too much to her.

"It's alright; I also thought she was feeling much better. All that matters is that she is still here with us." There was a moment of silence, the only noise being the beep of the heart monitor.

"I heard you're going to move back to your home town," the man said. The teen nodded, not tearing his eyes away from the sleeping girl.

"Yeah, I already told my uncle; he gave the okay," he replied.

"Where will you be staying?"

"I'll be getting my own place; an apartment maybe, why?" The man sighed before glancing from his daughter to the boy next to him. Finally he continued to speak.

"…I have a case…a really big one. It requires me to go out of the country." The teen's eyes widened before he swerved to completely face the man.

"You can't leave now! Hikari! She needs you here! You can't just leave her all of a sudden, especially now!"

"She already knows about the case."

"But, if she knew then…" By now, the blonde man was staring right at the teen.

"She said that she wants to be with you." Teal eyes widened in shock.

"Can't she stay with her aunt or her uncle?" he asked. The blonde man shook his head.

"Her aunt is planning on getting married soon and her uncle is going with me on the case…"

"And she picked me? Why?" Both of them were now looking at the sleeping girl, listening to her soft heartbeat.

"Because she trusts you; she trusts you with her life…"

"…And you sir?" The man closed his eyes as he responded, speaking straight from his heart and mind.

"Ever since she met you, I got to see her smile more and more often…More than she ever had in her entire life. I just want her to be happy and if that's with you, I'm fine with that. The question is…are you up for it?" The teen glanced back over to the sleeping girl and then back to the girl's father.

"What about school and her other needs?" he asked. "She is in no condition to go to school with me and not only that but I'll still be in high school; I probably won't be able to support the both of us and still study for classes."

"I've already arranged a private tutor until she gets better; actually, the tutor lives in your hometown. While you go to school, the tutor will go over to your place and tutor her. Once she is healthy enough, she can transfer into your school. And for her necessities…" The father then handed the boy a card. "Here is a credit card, use it for emergencies. I'll be able to monitor its use so I'll know what you use it on."

The boy took the card and put it into his pocket before staring at the girl's father.

"You seem pretty sure about this." The father nodded before glancing at his daughter.

"Hikari is my whole life Kai; please look after her. I don't want to see her in another hospital bed when I get back." Kai nodded a determined flame in his eyes.

"I understand; I'll be sure to take good care of Hikari." Kai then turned and sat down in the empty chair next to the bed. Taking one look at the peaceful expression on Hikari's face, Kai vowed to never let her or anyone else get hurt by this 'power' ever again.

_ 'I've already lost one of my closest friends; I'm not about to lose the one thing that matters most, I will protect you Hikari. I promise.' _


	2. A Silent Vow

Chapter 2

_~2 years later~_

It was bright and early in the morning as two teens stood facing each other in an almost heated showdown. The female pouted before crossing her arms across her chest in a child-like fashion.

"I don't understand why I can't go with you today Toshiki-kun; I've been feeling much better these past few days!" she exclaimed. Kai shook his head and stood his ground; no matter what Hikari would not win this time.

"Hikari, even if you've been feeling better, there's still the possibility of you getting sick again, maybe even worse than last time," Kai reasoned.

"But!" Kai cut the girl off immediately:

"No buts Hikari." Hikari pouted; she knew there was no changing Kai's mind when he was set on an idea and he was set on keeping Hikari inside. Darn his overprotective nature! She understood that she was weaker and more susceptible to disease but that doesn't mean she has to stay inside all day long. It was boring! Huffing, Hikari took a glance at Kai, who was now putting on his shoes.

"Toshiki-kun, please, I really want to practice my cardfighting skills; can't I go just this once?" Hikari was practically begging now. She had even pulled out her strongest weapon: the puppy dog eyes. Kai sighed and shook his head, which surprised Hikari because he usually broke when she pulled those out.

"No, and that's final; your tutor will be here soon so don't think about leaving. I'm off to school now." Kai leaned down to kiss Hikari only to have her pout and turn away. "So, you're going to be like that huh?"

"Hmph!" Kai smirked at his girlfriend's attempts to avoid his kisses; she was just so cute with her petite figure and the pout on her face. Leaning down, he whisked the girl into his arms, holding her close to his chest.

"I just want you to be safe Hikari," Kai said softly as he embraced the petite girl. Hikari sighed, as she snuggled into Kai's arms.

"I know, but I'm feeling much better Toshiki and it'd only be for a little while! I just want to play for a bit." Kai nodded before kissing Hikari's forehead.

"Another time Hikari, I just don't feel like you're well enough yet; as soon as you're better, we'll go. I promise." The couple looked into each other's eyes before meeting for a light yet passionate kiss.

"Okay, as long as you promise," Hikari finally whispered. "Now, hurry or you'll be late for school." Kai nodded and opened the door; Kai shut the door, leaving Hikari alone in the apartment.

Looking at the clock, Hikari noticed the time; 7:00, her tutor wouldn't be there for another hour. Sighing, Hikari got up and went over to her room. Shutting the door, Hikari made her way over to her desk. Sitting down, Hikari opened one of the side drawers of the desk and pulled out a small box which contained a deck of cards, Vanguard cards. Carefully, she pulled the cards out of the case and shuffled through the deck.

_'I wish Toshiki-kun would let me go with him to the card shop. Or anywhere for that matter,'_ Hikari thought to herself. _'Toshiki-kun can be so overprotective sometimes.'_ Sighing once again, Hikari set aside her deck and began to prepare her things for when her tutor came.

"I can't even go to school like normal kids because of my sickness," Hikari mumbled. "I must be such a burden." Taking one last look at her deck, Hikari left her room, closing the door behind her.

_~Later that day~_

When Kai returned that afternoon, Hikari was in the middle of the homework her tutor had assigned her. Looking up from her work, she greeted her boyfriend:

"Welcome home."

"Hn. I brought something for you."

"Hm?" Turning around, Hikari's eyes immediately widened. Squealing in joy, she grabbed the milk dan tan* from his hand and began munching on it. "Thank you Toshiki-kun!" Although, when she said that, Hikari was still eating the tiny tart so her words were muffled.

"Take it as an apology for not letting you go with me to Card Capital," Kai said as he set down his bag. Hikari's enthusiasm lowered as she remembered this morning.

"It's…okay Toshiki-kun; you're just worried about me I understand," she replied.

"I promise I'll take you there though, just not now." Hikari nodded, looking solemnly at the dessert in her hands. "I'll start dinner."

"Okay." After eating the dinner Kai had made, the two of them finished their homework and then proceeded to watch a movie before heading to bed. Placing a kiss on Hikari's forehead, then cheeks and finally her lips, Kai pulled the blanket up and tucked Hikari in.

"Oyasumi* Hikari."

"Oyasumi." Once Kai left the room, Hikari rolled around in bed before sitting up and looking towards her desk, her deck still sitting there.

"Toshiki-kun…" Lying back onto her bed, Hikari vowed to prove to Kai that she was ready…ready to be part of the outside world once more.


	3. The First Step

Chapter 3

"I'm going now."

"Bye Toshiki-kun, have a nice day at school!"

The door soon shut after that. Hikari yawned before slowly making her way back to her room. Once inside, she immediately went back to her bed and got under the covers. "So tired…" As Hikari was about to close her eyes, her phone went off. Reaching out her hand, she lazily grabbed her phone and answered the call.

"Moshi moshi," she yawned.

"Moshi moshi Hikari-san; it's me." Hikari slowly sat up as she heard her tutor's voice over the phone.

"Oh, ohayo Yanagi-san," Hikari replied. "Is something wrong?"

"Actually yes; it seems as my son has caught a cold and I have to watch him today," her tutor stated. "I know this is short notice but is it alright if we cancel the tutoring session today?" Hikari nodded even though her tutor clearly couldn't really see her nod.

"Of course, you need to watch your son, I understand," Hikari replied.

"Arigato, I guess I'll be going then; enjoy your day off!" With that, the call ended. Hikari smiled and giggled at her luck.

"Naptime!" Hikari exclaimed. Laying her head down on the pillow, Hikari fell asleep once again. An hour later, Hikari decided to get up. After making herself some breakfast, Hikari sat in the kitchen to eat. Once finished, she washed the dishes and moved on to the living room, picking up random pieces of trash and throwing them away. Once she finished all that, Hikari glanced at the clock and saw that only an hour had passed; it was only 10:00 am.

"Now what am I going to do?" Hikari mumbled to herself. Hikari then realized that Kai was still in school and since her tutor wasn't here maybe she could…

Rushing towards her room, Hikari stopped at her desk and pulled out her deck. Holding it in her hands, Hikari remembered what Kai had told her last week:

_"Another time Hikari, I just don't feel like you're well enough yet; as soon as you're better, we'll go. I promise."_

_'Ever since we moved to his hometown, Kai has been much more overprotective. He may never let me go outside…'_

Frowning, Hikari made up her mind. Quickly placing her deck back down on the desk, she went over to her closet to get dressed. After some time, Hikari decided to wear a pair of jean shorts, a white tank top with a blue vest over it. Hikari then grabbed her bag, phone and deck before running towards the door. Stopping to put on her shoes, Hikari was about to leave when she remembered:

"The key!" Quickly, Hikari went over to where Kai hid the spare key. Pocketing it in her bag, Hikari smiled and went out the door for the first time since she and Kai had moved into town.


End file.
